Corregidor Island is found just off the coast of Siargao. It has several beautiful beaches and coves but it is well known for its palm tree-covered hills, which visitors can reach after undertaking a small hike from the beach. A Corregidor Island tour is part of many of the island-hopping trips that leave Siargao every day.
WHERE IS CORREGIDOR ISLAND
Corregidor Island (also known as Casolian Island is south of the popular surf island Siargao in the south of the Philippines. There are a number of smaller islands nearby Siargao that are popular for island hopping, the most popular route is the day-trip to Daku, Guyam, and Naked Island.
From Siargao, it is about a 45-minute boat journey if you leave General Luna on a classic, outrigger boat. It’s important to note that on Google Maps, the island is listed as ‘Casolian Island’. There is another island in the Philippines, closer to Manila, which is also called Corregidor Island and shows up when you search it on Google Maps.
HOW TO GET TO CORREGIDOR ISLAND
To get to Corregidor Island from Siargao Island the most common way is to join a group tour that includes Corregidor but also another one or two island visits. For less than $25 USD, you can visit Corregidor Island and another spot to complete your day-trip. It is possible to book a private boat tour but this will be much more expensive. There are no public transportation options.
BOOKING A TOUR TO CORREGIDOR ISLAND FROM SIARGAO ISLAND
To book your Siargao Island hopping experience online, the best price and most reliable one is this activity on Klook. This activity includes four islands all in one day. You get to visit Corregidor, Naked Island, Daku Island, and Guyam. It costs slightly more than the regular three-island trip but that’s because you get four islands and visit them all in one day!
The price is very similar to what you will find at the street vendors (and likely on the same boat anyway). You get your full day of island hopping and lunch included. It’s hard to go wrong.
Book your tour now: FOUR ISLAND TOUR (Corregidor, Naked, Daku, Guyam)
I’ve done the tour as the three-island, four-island and even Corregidor in combination with Mamon & La Janosa. It’s fair to say I’ve spent some time island-hopping out of Siargao.
MY EXPERIENCE ON CORREGIDOR ISLAND, SIARGAO
I’ve been to Corregidor Island twice now and both times were a fantastic experience. However, they were on different island-hopping itineraries. On the first occasion, I did the FOUR ISLAND TOUR (Corregidor, Naked, Daku, Guyam) and on the second occasion, two years later, I visited Mamon Island and then Corregidor.
There are many ways to include Corregidor Island in your itinerary. Therefore, in this blog post, I will just share my experience mostly about Corregidor Island not all of the islands included in the itinerary as it can vary.
Corregidor Island is one of my favorite islands to visit near Siargao because it has a small element of adventure rather than just the regular beach hangouts you find at the other islands like Guyam and Naked. Before our boat docked, I sent the drone up so I could show you guys an aerial of just how pristine the waters are around the island!
We jumped off the boat and met our guide. The guide is always organized by your boat crew and it is a requirement. It’s a great way for the local residents to monitor the visitors to the island and to make a small living by guiding tourists up the hill to visit the palm trees and check out the views of Corregidor Island. The walk takes about 30-minutes each way in total and you probably want about 30-minutes at the top of the hill to explore the palms, take some photos and enjoy the view.
So, after finding our guide, we set off through the village where karaoke was blaring and the little kids all offered high fives and beautiful smiles! It’s such a picturesque village with a small church, palm trees and a grass corridor through the middle that connects the beach to the top of the hill. It’s a nice walk and gives you some insight into how the island residents are living.
The walk leaves the village and veers into the trees as you begin to enjoy a little bit of incline in the humid conditions. If you aren’t used to hiking or the humidity you may find this walk quite uncomfortable, even though it is very short and easy. It’s exposed at the top of the hill so packing sunscreen and wearing a hat is ideal. Many people get very burnt here as they hike in swimwear.
Once you reach the first little summit, you are now in the land of palm trees. It’s a pretty unique landscape of long grass, a collection of scattered palms and views of the ocean on all sides. There aren’t many places like it!
There are lots of little paths shooting off in all directions but basically there is no wrong or right way to explore Corregidor Island. Both times I’ve visited, we headed out all the way to the farthest point on the island to check out the coves on either side. Along the way, you will find a bent palm tree that has become a bit of a photo-op spot, which I’m sure your guide will point out for you.
To be honest, the best thing to do is just wander around and find new angles and explore different areas. With hundreds of palms up on the hill, it truly is a sight to behold and I’ve found different spots on both of my visits.
After exploring the palm tree hill, we made the trek back down into the village. With 40-minutes left before our boat left to head back to Siargao, we got into an intense sand-volleyball match and really soaked in the island vibes.
If you want to read about the tri-island hopping nearby that can also include Corregidor Island on the itinerary I’ll leave that blog post link here: SIARGAO ISLAND HOPPING – GUYAM, DAKU & NAKED ISLAND
And again, if you want to book the four-island hopping trip that includes Corregidor Island, Guyam, Daku and Naked all in one day that link is here: FOUR ISLAND TOUR
CORREGIDOR ISLAND MAP
As I mentioned earlier, on Google Maps you will find it named Casolian Island instead of Corregidor Island. However, everywhere on Siargao and all of the tour operators most definitely call the island Corregidor.
WHERE I SUGGEST TO STAY ON SIARGAO
Budget Hostel in General Luna: The White House: The best budget option for dorm style/hostel accommodation on Siargao Island is called The White House in General Luna. For just $10 a night you can grab yourself a dorm bed.
Value Pick in General Luna: Lampara Siargao Boutique Hostel: Lampara Siargao is an oceanfront boutique hostel conveniently situated on the exotic island of Siargao.
Luxury Pick in General Luna: Nay Palad Hideaway: Nay Palad Hideaway is one of the most luxurious accommodations in the Philippines. With its beautiful outdoor pool, terrace with either garden or ocean views, comfy seating areas, and is the resort you will see featured on Instagram all the time!
WHERE I STAYED ON SIARGAO ISLAND
Siargao is pretty straightforward when it comes to picking a region to stay. 90% of people choose to stay somewhere near General Luna. All of the bars, restaurants, tours, ports, and hotels are near General Luna and Cloud 9 surf break.
There are a couple of other regions you could stay in like Pacifico but unless you are purposely looking for isolation, General Luna is your spot. So what are my suggestions for where to stay in General Luna?
First, I’ll tell you where I stayed. Because I stayed for over a month, I managed to find an Airbnb. It was 4 blocks back from the beach, had wi-fi, A/C, a private bathroom, patio and inside were just two bunk beds. It was super basic and I stayed here with two mates and my sister. It was 900 USD for the entire month, which we split four ways so it was just $225 each.
There’s a photo below of our sweet Airbnb pad on Siargao Island.
Save money in Siargao by staying at an Airbnb! Get a FREE $40 Airbnb Coupon by using my code when you book!
Best time to visit Siargao Island
The best time to visit Siargao depends on what you are looking for. Many consider the best time of year when the weather is best but that also means crowds. I will give you a few options below about when is the best month to visit Siargao Island:
September: Siargao hosts the ‘Cloud 9 Surfing Cup’ each September, an official WSL Pro event
July – November: The best time period for surfing in Siargao is July until November. The easterly Mindanao current provides the islands with waves that came from the deepest regions of the Pacific.
March-May: If you aren’t as interested in the surf but are craving that sun. March until May should bring you guaranteed sunny days. But it’s the Philippines so you can’t guarantee it.
Where is Siargao Island Located
Siargao is located in the region of Mindanao in the Philippines. Mindanao is the southern region of the Philippines.
How to get to Siargao Island
When I visited in 2017 there was only one flight a day from Manila and one from Cebu. Now there are 10-15 flights a day so the question of how to get to Siargao has become much easier. Without going into deep detail on every single option. These are the options for how to get to Siargao:
- Fly from Manila $90-$100
- Fry from Cebu $90-$100
- Ferry from Surigao City to Siargao Island $5
There are ferries that leave from Manila and Cebu but they go to Surigao City first and then Siargao Island.
ARE YOU FOLLOWING MY SIARGAO SERIES OF BLOGS
Sunset: 11 AWESOME SUNSET SPOTS ON SIARGAO ISLAND
Cliff Jumps: 9 CLIFF JUMPING SPOTS IN SIARGAO
Where to Stay: WHERE TO STAY ON SIARGAO ISLAND
Island Hopping: SIARGAO ISLAND HOPPING – GUYAM, DAKU & NAKED ISLAND
Ultimate Guide: 40 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON SIARGAO
Itinerary & Expenses: SIARGAO ITINERARY & EXPENSES ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE
Sohoton Cove Itinerary: SOHOTON COVE NATIONAL PARK TOUR – CAVES AND LAGOONS
Visit Sugba Lagoon: SUGBA LAGOON FROM SIARGAO ISLAND
Hidden Lake on Poneas Island: DISCOVER THE HIDDEN LAKE OF PONEAS ISLAND, SIARGAO
MORE PHILIPPINES BLOGS
I have also visited many other places in the Philippines that you may want to add to your itinerary and remove one of the locations I visited. There is no right way to travel to the Philippines. The reality is that you will miss some awesome places no matter what Philippines backpacking route you take. You can check out the links below to my other Philippines backpacking guides.
Caramoan: CARAMOAN ISLAND HOPPING
Romblon Island: ROMBLON TRAVEL GUIDE: 17 AWESOME THINGS TO DO
Tablas Island: TABLAS ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: 20 AWESOME THINGS TO DO
Sibuyan Island: SIBUYAN ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: 9 AWESOME THINGS TO DO
Sohoton Cove: SOHOTON COVE NATIONAL PARK TOUR – CAVES AND LAGOONS
Carabao Island: CARABAO ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: 5 THINGS TO DO
Cebu Itinerary: CEBU 5-DAY ITINERARY – DETAILED ADVENTURE TRAVEL GUIDE
Cebu Things To Do: 16 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON CEBU
Philippines Backpacking Guide: PHILIPPINES BACKPACKING: 2019 BUDGET TRAVEL GUIDE
Ultimate Philippines Itinerary: ULTIMATE PHILIPPINES TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR 3-4 WEEKS
Loren
Monday 30th of May 2022
Hello! Can you personally recommend doing the tri island with Corregidor Island in 1 day or you would rather do Corregidor Island with Mamon separately?
It’s going to be my first time in July, staying for 7 nights and another Siargao trip perhaps in April-May 2023 because I still have a paid 7-night booking at the another hotel that’s reopening much later hence 2 separate trips. 😆
Jaska Kamila
Thursday 18th of June 2020
You can get your private boat from Dapa to Corregidor for a bit cheaper. Around 1500P / 27€ / 30$ for the whole boat.
General Luna prices are going up fast.